Method and apparatus for shipping engines



April 5, 1932.'- .e. LUNDBORG ET AL. 1,852,173

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHIPPING ENGINES Filed April 11, 1927 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 v b v Ema 94054261921 AT RNEY.

April 5; 1932.

) G. LUNDBORG ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHIPPING ENGINES Filed April 11. 192'? 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ark/W05; mmr A. A 1/4 0500 6 BY 5/0/1020 film/9n April 5, 1932. G. L. LUNDBORG ET AL- 1,852,173

. METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHIPPING ENGINES 6 Sheets-Sheet I5 ///V4 T0fi26 fwmrl. [mam/ea fl/cmepj Awe/MA ATTO Y.

. -Eilfed April 11. 1927 April 5, 1932. a. LUNDBORG ETAL 1,852,173

METHOD AND APPARATUS Fofi SHIPPI NG ENGINES 7 Filed April 11. 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 4 April 5, 1932. s 1.. LUNDBORG ET AL 1,352,173

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHIPPING ENGINES Filed April 11- 1927 6 Sheejzs-Sheet 5 April ,1 G. LUNDBORG ET AL 1,352,173

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHIPPING ENGINES Filed April 11. 192 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUSTAV L. LUNDBORG AND RICHARD B. ISRAEL, 0] MUSKEOON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS TO CONTINENTAL MOTORS CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA METHOD AND APPARATUS FOB'SHIPPING ENGINES Application am April 11,

This invention relates to loading and unloading methods and apparatus and refers more particularl to an improved method and apparatus for s ipping engines such as internal combustion engines.

1927. Serial No. 182.557.

ly nest the engines that the established minimum load per car may be obtained without decking the motors. Heretofore, in order to receive the full benefit of the shippin cost per car it was often necessary to deo the Heretofore it has been customary in shipcrated engines since the crates took up a relaping engines in freight cars and other conveyances to construct individual crates ordinarily made of wood, for each engine. This practice involves considerable expense in lumber cost as well as in labor in constructing the crates, placing the engines in the crates and generaly handling the crates both at the shipping end and at the receiving end or destination. Aside from the cost of the lumber many of the crates are broken and otherwise damaged by general depreciation. A further expense and difliculty under the practice heretofore resides in checking up the crates shipped. Frequently the crates are not returned to the shipper and a check up must be made to determine such a situation. The crates frequently are damaged in removing the engines and the period of usefulness of a crate is relatively short, i. e. only a relatively few number of shipments, the consignee often being charged for lost and damaged crates. Hence under the past practice of shipping engines considerable expense is incurred both to the consignor and consignee.

Our invention provides a novel method and apparatus for eliminating the individual crates for the engines and generally materially reduces the labor and material costs involved both to the consignor and consignee.

Our invention further has for its object the provision of a simply constructed and conveniently operable apparatus for handling the engines in loading and unloading for and from shipment respectively.

A further feature of our invention resides in providing novel means for securely locating the engines in place in a freight car-or other conveyance whereby the engines may be closely nested and securely fixed against accidental displacement during shipment, and yet may be quickly and conveniently removed from the freight car at the destination. One advantage resulting from this feature of our invention resides in the ability to so closetively great amount of the available floor space 0 the freight car;

With the above and our invention further resides in the novel combination apd arrangement of parts more particularly hereinafter descri ed.-

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the interior of a freight car illustrating one manner of :hipping engines according to our inven- Fig. 2 is a like. view at right angles to Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the freight car showing the loading and unloading apparatus,

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view along 4.--4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view along 55 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one manner of supplying the, motors from the production line to the loading apparatus, Fig. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1, illplstrating a modified form of our invention, an

Fig. 8 isa view of the modification corresponding with Fig. 2. p

In the drawings reference character A repother obJecits in view resents atypical freight car, such as ordinarily used for shipping engines and other articles, 10 representing the floor, 11 the end walls, 12 the side walls, and 13 the doors and door openings.

In carrying out our invention'we have illus' trated in Fig. 6 a system for conveying the engines B from the source of supply such as the manufacturing plant along the endless conveyor 14 which might run along the loading and unloading platform 15, then return to the plant. The conveyor 14 will ordinarily travel relatively slowly so that the engines freight cars.

may be removed from the conveyor as they travel along the platform for loadmg m'the One feature of our invention resides in providing a quickly attachable and detachable apparatusfor loadin and unloadm .the engmes. To this end w en it is deslre to load a car supporting brackets 16 are secured to the side walls 12 of the car by headed fasi teners 17. The fasteners 17 may engage 0 enopposite ends supported by brackets 16, these beams extending transverselyacross the car at suitable intervals along the length there of. The beams 21 form a support for the spaced rails 22 and for convenlence of quick assembly and disassembly the rails 22 are provided with supporting hooks 23 which pass over the upper portion of beams 21. The rails 22 are thus removably located, spaced, and extended longitudinally along the car to form a track for the travelling rail or track 23, the latter being provided with supporting and guidin rollers 24 engageable with the track 22. he track 23 carries the hoist 24, rollers 25 operating on the track 23. The hoist 24, may be either powered with a motor or maybe manually operated so as to raise and lower the engines by engagement with hook 26. With the apparatus as thus far described it is apparent that we have provided a quickly assembled or disassembled apparatus for loading or unloading engines to or from any point in the car, the travelling track 23, carrying hoist 24 travelling longitudi nally of the car and the hoist 24 travelling longitudinally of track 23 or transversely of the car. In order to rovide for passage of hoist in and out of t e car we have ing and unloading track section 27 hinged at 28 so that when the car is moved the section 27 may be swun away from the door opening 13 to the dotted ine osition indicated at the left of Fig. 6. In loading an engine it is desirable to accurately and quickly align the tracks 27 and 23 and to this end a sliding key 39 is provided. This key may be moved across the end 30 of the track 23 whenever the hoist 24 is passed between tracks 23 and 27.

The loading track section 27 is provided.

with a portion 31 beyond the hinge 28, preferabl curved to provide an end portion 32 termlnating closely adjacent the conveyor 14 rovided a loadand facilitating removal of the engine from.

the conveyor. If desired the end .32 may be provided with a suitable switch to the conveyor 14 but we find it convenient in loading an engine to run the hoist24 out to the point 32 and to engage hook .26 with the engine carried by conve or 14 lifting or disengaging the engine rom-the conveyor hook or other carrying means. The hoist with the engine to be loaded is then passed along tracks 31, 27, and 23. The key 29 is then slid beyond the end 30, the travelling rail 23 a then being free to move longitudinally of the car and the hoist transversely of the car to deposit the engine on the car floor. The track 23 is then returned to align with the section 27 and the key 29 a ain moved across the end 30 to permit the oist 24 to travel to the end track 32 to pick up the next engine 7 for the car being loaded from the conveyor 14.

In Fig. 6 we have diagrammatically illus-- trated one system of loading a plurality'of engines into their proper cars. Thus conveyor 14 may carry all the engines, three types being shown at B, B, and B for example, respectively for loading into and shipment by the freight cars'A, A, and A Each of these cars may be equipped with our loading apparatus as described above.

A further feature of our invention resides.

in the manner of nesting, locating, and secura ing the engines in position within the cars. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 the engines are placed in position by our loading apparatus,

end boards 36 may. be placed at the ends of each transverse row of engines across the supports 33 and'adjacent the end engines of each row. As shown in Fig. 1 engine spacing blocks 37 may be located between ad'acent engines of each row, these blocks or convenience being located below upper positioning boards 38 overlying each row of engines. We next tie the engines of each row together by passing a tie member, wire, or metal strip 39 preferably entirely around the engines of each row, fixing the ends of the tie member in any convenient manner. Next,

other ties 40 are passed prefrably at several points along the length of each row of engines taking up any slack in the tie member 39 and .servm to further secure the engines in position. t is generally desirable to ass the ties 40 beneath the supports 33 and a ove the boards 38, these ties for convenience being placed on the floor of the car before placheretofore.

ing the supports 33. In this manner the engine supports 33 may be quickly placed in position, the engines then being positioned y the loading apparatus, followed by placement of the boards 38 and the ties. If desired the boards 33 may have their upper faces grooved to receive .the engines, the grooves corresponding in general with the lower shape of the engine.

Instead of positioning the unit rows of engines transversely of the car, these rows might also be formed longitudinally of the car as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. In these views the supports 33' and upper boards 38' extend longitudinally of the car, ties 39' and 40 being employed substantially as described above with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. In Fig. 7 we have shown the ties 39' extending the length of the car, passing around the engines of each row respectively.

In unloading the cars the ties and upper boards are removed, the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 being employed to remove the engines from the cars. If desired the loading and unloading apparatus may be left in the car duringshipment or may be built permanently in the car.

Our invention provides means for more quickly loading and unloading the engines, and for securely fixing the engines in position without-the use of individual crates used Furthermore a saving is made possible in the elimination of much of the lumber used heretofore in crates as well as crate losses and deterioration expenses. With our invention the engines may be closel nested, making it possible to obtain the mimmum required load in a freight car without the necessity of decking the engine.

We do not limit ourselves to the particular apparatus and arrangement ofengine location as shown and described as it is apparent that many changes may be resorted to and.

l still utilize the benefits of our invention. We

believe our invention to be of .a very broad scope since .we are aware of no method or apparatus making it possible heretofore to ship motors without the use of the individual crates. I

What we claim as our invention is\:

1. The method of shipping internal combustion engines in freight cars consisting in installing a removable engine, conve ing a loading the engines in the car in groups, and tying theengines of each group together so as to prevent their relative displacement during shipment.

4. Apparatus of the character described comprising in combination with a freight car,

an engine hoist, means mounting said hoist' within the freight car to permit, said hoist to travel longitudinally and transversely of and within the car, said'means including a travelling track for the hoist, a pivotal track member movable into a position of align ment with the said travelling track, and a slidable key connecting the adjacent ends of the travelling track and the pivotal track;

5. The method of loading internal combustion engines into a freight car for shipment consisting in installing a knockdown engine conveying apparatus within the freight car, loading said engines with said apparatus, and removing the apparatus after the loading operation is completed and prior to shipment of the freight car.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures.

' G. L. LUNDBORG.

R. BVISRAEL.

paratus within the freight car, loa ing t e engines in the car by means of the apparatus, and tying the engines together in groups.

2. The method of shipping internal combustion engines in freig 1; cars consisting in loading the engines in the car in grou 1 s and connecting and tying the engines 0 each group together whereby relative movement is prevented.

3. The method of shipping internal combustion engines consisting in progressively feeding the engines toward a freight car, 

